For "Hornblower" I applied acrylic extensions because they would keep their texture better out at sea. I took particular care to make the extensions fine and many in number to give a genuine "weight" and also took particular care around the hairline.

The weather and environment was a very real consideration in the design of the look right from the get-go as we spent so much time at sea in the first two episodes. I had to be practical and go straight-away for a very realistic and lived-in look because it was pointless going for a more polished style if we weren't going to get a chance to maintain it properly.

In any case, I didn't want everyone to look as if they'd just come out of the make-up and hair chair!! It can so often happen when pictures have men with "hair-do's".

Effects achieved: top of head shaven and dark widow's peak hairline concealed, application of comb-over toupe, eczema, sweat, application of mother's 50's make-up and finally coal-dust.

Stephen's look was the most complex and "layered" in this film. His character, Dezmond, had eczema so his skin needed to be flaky and sore, while always looking realistic and never caricature. Terry Gross, the director, also asked that he have a comb-over pate.

For the bald pate, Stephen's head was shaved and a piece made to replace part of the hair, and supply the comb-over length. The edge hid the hard edge of his own shaved line, and stopped just short of his hairline in the front. At the end of the film when his character finally loses his mind, the comb-over that was so immaculate, consistent with his rather anal character, begins to break up and fall back across his head. This required close attention to the continuity as we had a lot of to-ing and fro-ing from room to room.

The picture you see here is at the very end of the film. Dezmond has finally lost his mind; applied his deceased mother's make-up, and tried to kill his brother by letting loose a ton or so of coal, which blew back onto him in a great cloud of coal-dust. This explains his extreme look.